Thank you for your interest in hosting a USA Ultimate Triple Crown Tour Event! The USA Ultimate Triple Crown Tour relies on local volunteers to help promote and facilitate tournaments across the country. Your tournament will be a milestone on the road to the USA Ultimate Post- Season Championship Series, a great playing experience for teams, and an opportunity to promote the sport at its best. Event Types Teams in the Triple Crown Tour are divided into 4 flights (Pro, Elite, Select, and Classic), based on performance from the prior year s Post-Season. See Appendix 1 for a breakdown of the different events that make up the Regular Season and Post-Season. All events must meet the USA Ultimate Sanctioning Program event requirements. - Pro and Elite Flight & Select Flight Invite Events - Teams in the top two flights, Pro and Elite, represent the top 16 teams in the country, based on their qualification for Nationals. These teams are required to attend specific regular season events, which are bid out to event organizers and selected by USA Ultimate (see Appendix 1). Top-Select Flight teams (the teams that lost their respective games to go to Nationals) will be required to attend the Select Flight Invite or the Elite-Select Challenge. This bid document is used for bidding on those events. - Other Regular Season Sanctioned Events - Organizers interested in hosting other events that will be part of the Triple Crown Tour regular season must apply through the Sanctioning Program (this bid document is not needed for those events). Any event is eligible to apply to be part of the Triple Crown Tour Regular Season. In fact, the Tour is largely comprised of these independent events, which provide local, regional, and national playing opportunities to teams at all levels. There are no specific requirements for teams or formats for these events. Learn about how to apply by contacting sanctioning@hq.usaultimate.org. 1
Pro and Elite Flight & Select Flight Invite Events Application Bid process timeline is as follows: - Complete the following form and return it to USA Ultimate Headquarters by December 7, 2018. - Headquarters Staff will announce 2019 Pro, Elite, and Select Flight Invite events by early February. Tournament Sanctioning Expectations All Triple Crown Tour regular season events are also part of the USA Ultimate Tournament Sanctioning Program. As such, organizers that accept the responsibilities of hosting one of these Triple Crown Tour events should also expect the requirements and benefits of tournament sanctioning to be in place. There are additional requirements and benefits for Triple Crown Tour regular season events, as outlined in this bid document. Please review this information before submitting your bid for the Triple Crown Tour. If your event is selected, then you will be expected to complete the tournament sanctioning application process accordingly. The significant changes to the tournament sanctioning process for the organizer of Triple Crown Tour Pro, Elite, and Select Flight Invite events will include the following: 1. The sanctioning fee is waived for Triple Crown Tour Pro, Elite, and Select Flight Invite events. 2. Team selection, registration, and rostering will be managed directly by USA Ultimate. USA Ultimate will assist the event organizer in communicating with the teams about the rostering process. 3. The schedule will be created and entered into the online event system by USA Ultimate staff. Organizers will not need to enter the schedule, but will be expected to assist with the process of scheduling and score reporting and ensure that all final results are posted. If you have any additional questions about the tournament sanctioning requirements for your event, please contact sanctioning@usaultimate.org. Please see the chart below for additional requirements. 2
Event Requirements Preferred Dates (*) Pro-Elite Challenge Select Flight Invite Elite- Select Challenge Pro Champio nships July 13-14 July 27-28 Aug 17-18 Aug 31- Sep 2 Division(s) Men s, Mixed, Women s All 3 Number of Teams 16, 32, or 48 total (16 per 16, 32, or 48 total (16 per 16, 32, or 48 total (16 per 30 total (10 per Number of Fields 6-8 per division 6-8 per division 6-8 per division 12 total for first two days & stadium for Monday Competition Format & Schedule TBD by USA Ultimate TBD by USA Ultimate TBD by USA Ultimate TBD by USA Ultimate Showcase Field (accommodate 500+ spectators, sponsor signage, media access) Strongly Preferred Preferred Preferred Required Event Staff 25+ including TD, Volunteer Coordinator, 2 Head Scorekeepers, 1 scorekeeper per field; 8+ observers 25+ including TD, Volunteer Coordinator, 2 Head Scorekeepers, 1 scorekeeper per field; 8+ observers 25+ including TD, Volunteer Coordinator, 2 Head Scorekeepers, 1 scorekeeper per field; 8+ observers 25+ including TD, Volunteer Coordinator, 2 Head Scorekeepers, 1 scorekeeper per field; 8+ observers 3
I. General Information Please indicate below which event(s) you are bidding on, which date(s), and which division(s). Elite-Select Challenge Date Men s Mixed Women s Pro-Elite Challenge Date Men s Mixed Women s Select Flight Invite Date Men s Mixed Women s Pro Championships Date All 3 divisions required. Additional Divisions/Teams - Please include information on any other divisions or teams that might be competing during your event in the same location Mixed Open Women s Location (Name of site, address, and web address) 4
II. Statement of Purpose What group or groups want to bring a Triple Crown Tour Event to your area? What are the group s goals regarding the event? What about your site or Ultimate community will contribute to a successful event? Have prior USA Ultimate events or other large Ultimate tournaments been held in your area? If so, have they been USA Ultimate sanctioned events? What other comparable sporting events have been held at your site? III. Tournament Location and Dates What is the name of the field site? What type of facility is this (soccer fields, intramural fields, polo fields, grass fields, artificial turf, etc.)? Will all of the fields be at one site (preferred)? If the fields will be at multiple sites, how far away are those sites from one another? What is your backup plan in case you can t use the original fields and date because of weather issues (backup fields, all-weather fields, reschedule, etc.)? For the Pro Championships event only, what is the name of the stadium field site? Please also list the address. For the Pro Championships event only, does the stadium field site have a (required) second field on which teams can prepare for their championship game? 5
IV. Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Who will serve as tournament director? Please note that this person must not be participating as a player, coach, observer, etc. The tournament director must be USA Ultimate TDCP Level I certified or will become so within 30 days from the awarding of the tournament. Indicate the number of total staff (not participating at the event) who will be available for tournament duties including score reporting, field lining, field setup/breakdown, and keeping water and food stations stocked. Please list two primary contacts (primary and secondary) with physical address, phone number, and email address. Primary Contact Name Address Phone Email Address Event Sanctioning is a benefit of USA Ultimate membership. USA Ultimate Member # Secondary Contact Name Address Phone Email Address V. Playing Facilities Please review the Provisions and Amenities section of the Event Quality guidelines before completing this section. How many full-sized fields are available at the site that meets the spacing requirements outlined in the Event Quality guidelines? Lined fields are required for all Triple Crown Tour Event games. What are your plans for field lining? Are there any lit fields? 6
Is adequate parking close by? VI. Support Facilities Please review the Provisions and Amenities section of the Event Quality guidelines before completing this section. Tournament Headquarters Where will the main tent or similar support facility be located in relation to the fields? There needs to be a place for scores to be posted at tournament headquarters. Are you able to accommodate this? Please speak to the availability of power and internet. Concessions/Exhibitors Can concessions be sold by vendors on site? Are non-food exhibitors allowed to advertise and/or sell merchandise on site? Does the field provider have a contract for exclusive concession rights, or can bids be solicited? Are permits required for food or non-food vendors? Social/Alcohol USA Ultimate alcohol policies listed below must be followed. - USA Ultimate does not condone the unlawful or unauthorized use, possession, distribution, consumption, promotion, marketing, or sale of alcoholic beverages at USA Ultimate official, sponsored, sanctioned or affiliated events. - I agree that, as a USA Ultimate member, player, organizer or representative of the organization, I will not compete at USA Ultimate official, sponsored, sanctioned or affiliated events, or carry out responsibilities related to official organization and event business, while under the influence of alcohol or illegal/banned drugs. Additionally, I will not engage in the unlawful or unauthorized use, possession, distribution or consumption of alcoholic beverages or illegal/banned drugs at said events or while representing USA Ultimate in an official capacity. 7
- Alcohol shall not be marketed, provided, served or sold at USA Ultimate official, sponsored, sanctioned or affiliated youth events (events where all of the participants are under 21). - NOTE: USA Ultimate liability insurance for your event does not include alcohol liability. Do you plan on hosting a social function as part of the event (e.g. using entry fees, advertised to participants as part of event, etc.)? Do you plan on having alcohol available in any way at or in conjunction with the event? If the answer to either of the above questions is yes, what measures would be taken to ensure the safety of participants and compliance with all applicable laws, site rules, and USA Ultimate policies? VII. Travel Information Please review the Provisions and Amenities section of the Event Quality guidelines before completing this section. Accommodations What accommodations are available on or near the site? Please include price range and availability for hotels including rates for complimentary rooms (for staff) and meeting space. VIII. Benefits Please review the Benefits section of the Event Quality guidelines. USA Ultimate will be providing benefits equivalent to a Regionals event as well as the following to support the following Triple Crown Tour events. At least one staff member or senior volunteer on site to assist with field support and online score reporting. Game scorekeeping/stat-keeping/sotg materials and instructions One game disc per team Radios, scoreboards, and signage as needed. May publish, at its discretion, editorial coverage of the Event supplied to USA Ultimate in a timely fashion by the local organizing committee or its media coordinator. Pro Championships only - USA Ultimate will provide at least one additional staff member on site to assist with stadium setup and coordination with stadium streaming partner. 8
USA Ultimate maintains a $2 million liability policy that covers USA Ultimate sanctioned events. The insurance will cover the tournament director, volunteer staff, the field provider, and other groups as requested. NOTE: USA Ultimate liability insurance for your event does not include alcohol liability. Is this insurance adequate for the field provider and all other organizations who will be involved in the event? IX. Media Any event guide and travel information need to be made available electronically, online (website) or via email. One printed copy of the event guide must also be provided to each team at the event. Are you able to meet this requirement? Does the LOC have a volunteer who can post scores on the USA Ultimate website throughout the event? Scores must be posted promptly. Who will serve as local media coordinator finding writers/photographers to cover the action? I have read and understand the following Media rights and responsibilities: USA Ultimate, as the owner of the Triple Crown Tour, maintains all media rights to the events that comprise the Triple Crown Tour. USA Ultimate has the exclusive right to control photography and video and audio recordings of the events and the exclusive right to the publication, reproduction and distribution, live or otherwise, of such recordings. USA Ultimate may grant exclusive or non-exclusive licenses to individuals or entities that may allow the individuals or entities to record the Events and/or publish, reproduce and/or distribute such recordings upon terms negotiated between the parties. USA Ultimate has the right to prohibit unauthorized commercial photography, video and audio recordings at Events, as well as the right to prohibit the unauthorized publication, reproduction or distribution of such recordings. All still photographers attending any Triple Crown Tour event must sign and adhere to USA Ultimate s Recording Partnership Agreement. USA Ultimate will maintain an online media accreditation system to ensure all media sign the required paperwork and read the appropriate guidelines related to all media related activity. 9
All individual event web pages maintained by the event organizers must include the USA Ultimate and the Triple Crown Tour logos. X. Sponsorship and Merchandising I have read and understand the following Sponsorship and Merchandising rights and responsibilities: Any and all contractual agreements relating to sponsorship and merchandising of the Event must be coordinated and approved by USA Ultimate headquarters. As such, the organizer is not required to secure sponsors for the Event, but is encouraged to provide information to USA Ultimate about relationships which organizers may already have with companies with a strong history of supporting ultimate or athletic events in their community. Event organizers are not required to secure an official merchandise partner for the event. However, all event organizers must communicate their intent on securing a merchandise partner for the event as part of the bid process. In the event that the organizer does not intend on engaging a merchandiser, USA Ultimate shall retain the right to do so and shall retain all of the revenues associated with said merchandise. If an organizer chooses to engage a merchandise provider for the event, all merchandise must be approved by USA Ultimate and should include Triple Crown Tour branding and the official Event name in order to maintain a level of consistency across all events. If the event successfully engages a merchandise partner, USA Ultimate is entitled to 10% of all revenues associated with non-disc related merchandise sales. USA Ultimate may provide Triple Crown Tour, Flight-specific or USA Ultimate branded discs for sale at the event. The local organizer and/or merchandiser will be required to offer these for sale, at a price determined by the local organizer, and remit $8/disc sold back to USA Ultimate. Organizers may design and purchase event-specific Discraft discs at the USA Ultimate discounted rate and keep all revenue associated with the sale of those discs. Speak to your ability to secure sponsorships (local or otherwise) for the tournament. Please indicate your understanding that sponsorships may not conflict with USA Ultimate sponsors/commitments. XI. Observers USA Ultimate would like to have USA Ultimate Certified Observers officiating Triple Crown Tour Event games. While it may not be possible to cover all of these games, USA Ultimate 10
would like at least 8 observers to work a three-division Triple Crown Tour Event and would hope that crews of 12 or more could be provided. At a minimum, observers should have their travel & lodging expenses (if needed) paid as well as receive meals while working games. Other benefits may be provided at your discretion. Please factor in your anticipated costs for observers into your budget projections. Tournaments selected as Triple Crown Tour Events will receive organizational and recruiting assistance from the USA Ultimate Observer Program, including assignment of a head observer for the event. Tournament organizers will work with Byron Hicks, Manager - Events, Byron@hq.usaultimate.org. Please speak to how many certified observers you anticipate being able to incorporate for your Event. XII. Budget Income Bid Fee (per team or per player please include $50 per team that will be sent to USA Ultimate*) Sponsorships Admissions/Parking (for Pro Championships stadium day only, USA Ultimate will receive 75% and the LOC 25% of admissions revenue) Other *Note regarding USA Ultimate $50 team fee. This nominal fee, which equates to approximately $2/player, will help USA Ultimate defray costs associated with supporting this event with staff and supplies. Please build this into the team/player fee, and plan on remitting this to USA Ultimate following the event. Please let us know if you have any questions. Expenses Facility Rental* Rental Equipment (field carts, tables/chairs, tents, portapotties, dumpsters, coolers) Labor (medical, security, field lining, entertainment, website, transportation) Food and beverages (participant, staff) Supplies (ice, medical, trash, field setup, shipping and postage) Travel / lodging for event staff, including coordinators and observers Game discs (see VIII. Benefits section) Other *Note regarding Pro Championships: USA Ultimate will cover the costs associated with the third (finals) day of play, including stadium, painting and field setup, tickets, volunteer and staff food, as well as travel and lodging for USA Ultimate staff. All expenses much be preapproved by USA Ultimate staff. 11
Appendix 1 2019 USA Ultimate Triple Crown Tour Event Summary (Note that all events will be expected to meet USA Ultimate s event quality standards, in addition to any flight-specific event requirements.) Regular Season Triple Crown Tour Tour Event Preferred Date (*) Division(s) Men s, Mixed, Pro-Elite Challenge Select Flight Invite US Open Club Championships (ICC/Adults) Elite-Select Challenge July 13-14 July 27-28 August 2-4 (ICC) August 17-18 Women s All 3 # of Teams # of Fields Preferred Location/Notes** 16, 32, or 48 total (16 per 16, 32, or 48 total (16 per 36 (ICC) total (24 Pro; 12 Int l) 16, 32, or 48 total (16 per 6-8 per division* 6-8 per division* 12 (ICC) total* 6-8 per division* Travel for teams across TCT events will be strongly considered, along with the presence of a quality facilities, strong local community, and local participating teams. Travel for teams across TCT events will be strongly considered, along with the presence of a quality facilities, strong local community, and local participating teams. Blaine, MN Travel for teams across TCT events will be strongly considered, along with the presence of a quality facilities, strong local community, and local participating teams. 12
Pro Championships Other Regular Season Sanctioned Events Aug 31- Sep 2 June 1 Sept 2*** All 3 30 total (10 per Flexible (open to teams from any flight) 12 total for first two days & stadium for Monday* Variable based on # of teams and format Travel for teams across TCT events will be strongly considered, along with the presence of a quality facilities, strong local community, and local participating teams. All over *These events will have competition formats set by USA Ultimate. **Goals for location decisions of required Tour events will include consideration of the location of teams with respect to travel over the course of the season, in addition to facility quality, weather, community support, and other factors. ***Results for events after August 25 th will only count towards Nationals bid allocations. Post-Season - Championships Series Series Event Preferred Date Division(s) Men s, Mixed, Women s Sectionals Sept 8-9 Regionals Sep 22-23 # of Teams # of Fields Preferred Location Notes Flexible 8-16 per division Variable based on # of teams and format* Variable based on # of teams and format* * These events will have competition formats set by USA Ultimate. Section-specific Region-specific 13